Railway safety and signal device.



E. FRBED.

RAILWAY SAFETY AND SIGNAL DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED D120 1912.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

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ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PE ERS Ca, PHOYO-LITHO. WASHING VONv r) c E. FRBED.

RAILWAY SAFETY AND SIGNAL DEVIUB.

APPLICATION TILED DBO.2,1912.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

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HIE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO LITH H WASHINUiON. I) C nrr sa'rarns ra'rnnronricn.

EDWARD FREED, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE AS-SIGNMEN'IS, TO RAILWAY SAFETY APPLIANCE COMPANY, .INC., OF SEATTLE,WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

RAILWAY SAFETY AND SIGNAL DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, .1914.

Application filed December 2, 1912. Serial No. 734,489.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD Fnnnn, a citizenof the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King andState of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railway Safety and Signal Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to safety appliances for railway systems; and itsobject is the provision of improved devices of this character wherebyautomatically controlled signal appliances are actuated to safeguardtrains against collision.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of arailway track and associated parts equipped with devices embodying thepresent invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same together witha locomotive provided with devices to cooperate with the trackequipment. .Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a semaphore tower such as usedat each end of a block section of track. Fig. 4. is a similar view ofone of the car signal controllers. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal verticalsection taken through an actuator for one of the signal controllers.Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section through 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 isa fragmentary horizontal section of the engineers cab of a locomotive toillustrate the mechanism employed for op' erating a whistle controllingline. Fig. 8 is a diagrammaticview illustrating the preferred form ofelectrical connections and devices for operating a crossing signallight.

Fig. 9 is a detail elevational view of the proferred form of latch-barfor securing the whistle-operating mechanism in operative condition.

In the following description I will particularly describe the mechanismupon but one side of the -.track and which are controlled by cars ortrains traveling in but one direction. It is to be understood, however,that these devices will be duplicated upon.

the opposite side to accommodate cars traveling in a contrary direction,and are illustrated in Fig. 2. t

The reference numeral 10 represents a railway track.

11 is a locomotive having secured thereto a transversely arranged bar 12which is disposed to protrude for a distance to one side of thelocomotive.

Fulcrunied insuitable supports provided on the side of the locomotivecab is a bell crank lever having an arm 13 (Fig. 7 which is yieldinglyheld by a spring 14 in position to project laterally from the car whilethe other arm 15 of the lever is connected by a line 16 with a steamwhistle (not shown) for causing the same to become operative when thelever arm 13 is thrust rearwardly by en: countering an object in itspath during the progressive travel of the car. When the lever is thusinfluenced it is swung into the dotted line position in Fig. 7 and ahooked finger 13 provided on the lever arm 13 is engaged by a springactuated latch 17 to retain the lever in operative position with aconsequent uninterrupted blowing of the whistle until the engineerreleases the lever from the latch.

Provided at one side of the track and at each end of a block section ofthe same is a semaphore tower 18 having near the upper end of each areceptacle for a lantern 19, or its equivalent, with sight apertures atthe opposite sides and which may be glazed by transparent, or whitepanes.

Pivotally connected by a pin 20 to a tower is a pair of semaphore blades21 provided with openings 22 in which are red glasses, as conventionallyused in railway service to designate danger when brought opposite thesight apertures of the lantern receptacle.

Each pair of semaphore blades are connected to 11love as a single pieceand, as shown in Fig. 3, are connected by a link 23 with the arm 24L ofa lever which is fulcrumed at to a tower and has its other arm 26weighted so as to normally retain the arm 24: in the elevated positionas indicated by full lines in the view.

27 represents a spring acting supplementary to the power of saidweighted arm for i casing 32 bar 12 encounters the inclined edge 33 ofthe plate and depresses the latter with the result that the aforesaidsemaphore blades 21 and the lever arms 24 are respectively swung throughthe medium of the drag lines 28 to occupy positions indicated by brokenlines in Fig. 3 to expose the red lights of the semaphore blades andalso protrude the arms 24-. of the respective towers within the path ofthe car arm 13, to render the same operative to blow the whistle shouldany car so equipped undertake to pass from either direction into theblock section. When the plate 38 is swung down as above explained, aspring actuated lever pawl 3t engages the same within a recess 33provided in the plate to temporarily hold it in such depressed positionuntil the pawl is disengaged. To such an end there is provided near theexit end of a block section a tripper plate 35 (Fig. 2) pivotally supported by a pin 36 and is connected with said pawl by a line 37 passingabout suitably disposed guide pulleys and a fair leader wheel 3,8.

I Located between the semaphore towers of each block section is a post39 having a lever 40 fulcrunied thereto by a pin ll (Fig. t), the leverbeing at such an elevation that when swung down into the dotted lineposition it will be in thepath of the car arm 13 to cause the latter tobecome operative with respect to the car whistle. The function of thelever 40 is to serve as a warning to a car upon one block section of thepresence of another car or train in the section next ahead.

The lever arm is normally held in its ele vated position by means of aspring 12 and is draw downwardly by means of a line 13 extending to andcontrolled by a lever plate 1% disposed to be engaged by the car-arm 12just before the car leaves the block section. The lever plate 1a issecured in its lowered position by a lever pawl similar to thatdesignated by 34. The pawl for the lever-plate 44 is, in turn,disengaged through the instrumentality ofa line connected to atripper-plate in the block section next ahead and occupying the samerelative position in that block section as the plate 33 which isoperatively connected to the plate corresponding to 44: in the sectionnext behind.

Where there is a road crossing the track within any block section,gate-bars as are provided. These gate-bars are in the nature of leverswhich are fulcrumed by pins 4L7 to posts 1-8 at opposite sides of thetrack and are provided with counterweights 49 which serve to raise thelovers clear of vehicles, etc. The gate bars are connected by lines withan operating plate 50 which is controlled by the car bar 12, as beforeexplained, with respect to the plate utilized for controlling thesemaphore arms. The plate 50 is likewise engaged by a pawl lever whichis disengaged by a tripper plate 51 encountered by the car bar 12 afterthe same has been carried with a car or train beyond the road crossing.Upon being disengaged by its lever pawl the counterweights 19 asserttheir power to elevatethe gate bars.

As a notice to travelers upon the cross road of the approach of a trainand operative prior to the closing of the road by the gate bars, Iprovide a signal light, denoted by 52 in Fig. 2, which is illuminatedthrough the agency of an electric current passing through a normallyincomplete circuit which is closed by an electric switch 53 which, inturn, is operated by a lever plate 54:. After the train or car haspassed the crossing another electric switch 55 is actuated by a suitabledevice such as the tripper plate 51.

The electric light wire connections and operating devices therefor areillustrated in 1? lg. 8. The switches therein shown are of the three-waytype having terminals a e" and 5-12 which are directly connected bywires 0 and (Z. The other te-r1ninals ee and 7 -7 of the respectiveswitches are connected in pairs by circuit wires 9 and h with thegenerator and include the lamp 52. Switch is provided with a gap closureZ which is mounted upon an arbor m which also carries a ratchet wheel 0having four teeth which are successively engaged by a pawl 56 dependingfrom the plate 54:. The other switch is similarly provided with gapclosure Z upon an arbor m having mounted thereon a ratchet wheel 0 whichis controlled by a pawl 57 depending from the tripper plate 51. i

Assuming that the gap closures Z and Z are in the positions in whichthey are represented in Fig. 8, then when the plate 5 is depressed thepawl 56. will cause the closure Z to be swung into the dotted lineposition indicated by Z whereupon the light circuit is completed and thelamp 52 is illuminated. When the car passes the tripper plate 51 thelatter is depressed and the closure Z is rotated my the pawl 57 intothedotted line position Z resulting in the circuit being broken and theextinguishing of the light. The next car which travels over the linewill influence the switch 53 to restore theclosure Z thereof into itsfull line position resulting.

in the closing of the circuit in conformity to the then relativeposition of the closure of the other switch.

Springs are desirabl applied to the various levers and blades forrestoring the same more quickly to theirinoperative positions althoughcounterweights may be used instead of the springs. may be employed inthe various fairleader wheels to coiiperate with the springs providedfor the respective lever plates to render the movements of the linesmore rapid when the associated plates are released, an example of such aspring is indicated by 58 in Fig. 5.

The invention it is believed will be understood from the foregoingdescription and the advantages afforded by the same are obvious.

What I claim isl. The combination with a section of railway track and asemaphore tower, a semaphore blade on the tower, and a lever on thetower operatively connected with the semaphore blade, of a plate leverdisposed at a distance from said tower at one side of said track, aspringtending to yieldingly hold the plate lever in its elevatedposition, operative connections between the plate lever and the towerlever, a means on a car for encountering said plate lever whereby thesemaphore blade and its associated lever are caused to be moved intooperative positions, appliances carried by the car and engageable withtheftower lever whereby an alarm is actuated on the car when the latterpasses the tower while the lever thereof is in operative position, aspring-actuated lever pawl for retaining said plate lever in position tomaintain the tower lever in operative position, and a second plate leveroperatively.

connected with said lever pawl for disengaging the latter from theaforesaid plate lever when the second named plate lever is influenced bysaid means.

2. The combination with a section of railway track and a semaphore towerat each end thereof, a semaphore blade on each tower, and a lever oneach of the towers and Also spiral springs operatively connected withthe respective semaphore blades, of a plate lever disposed at a distancefrom said towers and at one side of said track, a spring tending toyieldingly hold the plate lever in its elevated position, operativeconnections between. the plate lever and the tower levers, a meansprovided on the car for encountering said plate lever whereby thesemaphore blades and the associated levers are caused to be moved intooperative positions, appliances carried by the car and engageable withthe tower.

levers whereby an alarm is actuated onthe car when the latter passeseither of the towers while the levers thereof are in operativepositions, a lever pawl for retaining the late lever in position tomaintain the tower evers in operative positions, and a second platelever operativcly connected with said pawl for disengaging the latterfrom the aforesaid plate lever when the second named plate lever isinfluenced by said means.

The combination with a railway track divided into block sections,locomotives, whistle actuating devices connected to the locomotive cabs,and a bar carried by each locomotive and protruding from the sidesthereof, of a semaphore tower at each end of a section, a leverpivotally connected to each of said towers a spring-actuated plate leverhaving an inclined upper edge provided at the side of the track andengageable by the bar of a locomotive whereby the respective levers of atrack section are moved into position to be engaged by the whistleactuating means of the other locomotive to render such means operativeshould the last named locomotive enter a section previously occupied byanother locomotive, and devices engage able by said whistle actuatingmeans for renderlng the latter operative where a locomotive is in theadjacent section.

Signed at Seattle, Wash, this 19th day of November, 1912.

EDWARD FREED.

Witnesses F; C. MATHENY, E. PETERSON.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. 0.

